GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

If you're running an NVIDIA GeForce GT 430, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 is going to be about three times more powerful.
If we're talking about an NVIDIA GeForce GT 430, I guess the gap might be even wider.

Do you have a case with decent airflow? You could also grab a CPU cooler for around $50 that would perform way better than the stock one.

And yeah, you definitely need to give the whole PC a good cleaning... maybe once or twice a year at least.

I’m pretty sure I’ve got an NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 in there. I went ahead and cleaned out the dust and made sure the case has some actual breathing room, so now I'm just going to keep a close eye on the temps to see if that actually moves the needle. Huge thanks for all the solid advice, seriously—you guys saved me a headache. I am beyond stoked to finally go grab that new card. Catch ya later!👍

steelfox36 said:I think it’s an NVIDIA GeForce GT 430. Case has decent airflow. I'll keep an eye on the temps to see if that actually moves the needle. Thanks for the tips. Can't wait to grab that GPU. Peace.👍

I'd rather just grab a cheaper graphics card and pair it with an aftermarket cooler.
ovako nesto:

One Spira Kepler Rev.2 cooler. Fits 1156/775/FM1 sockets. Dimensions are 96.5×51×125 mm with a 92mm fan.
One XFX NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, Double Dissipation Edition, hitting 925M Boost.

$488

I’m just crossing my fingers that both of those suggestions actually make FIFA 15 run any smoother. Honestly, that’s really the only thing I care about at this point.😁 So, here’s the deal with my rig: whenever I boot the thing up, the CPU temperature jumps straight to somewhere around 65-70°C right out of the gate. It hangs out there for maybe ten minutes or so before finally settling down to a more reasonable 50°C once things stabilize. Honestly, it's got me a bit paranoid, so I think I'm going to have to hand it over to a tech specialist to give the whole setup a proper once-over before I pull the trigger on a new graphics card.

Timothy Kim60 said:It’s probably not worth overhauling everything unless you hit $333 comparison levels.

With the cash you'd spend on those higher-end cards, you could probably snag something decent used—plus, you don't even have a solid power supply yet.

I noticed this Radeon RX 560 performs a bit better than my current setup, so maybe I should just stick with what my current power supply can handle? I'm not planning on upgrading my monitor or PSU anytime soon. I just want a slightly better GPU—nothing crazy, just enough to get things running a little smoother.

There is absolutely no way upgrading to a better GPU for ~$333 makes sense.

The performance jump is tiny compared to how much cash you're burning through—you're basically just throwing money away. Plus, I wouldn't mess with your power supply; this setup barely holds together as it is, and an Radeon RX 560X pulls an extra 30-40W.

So, first things first: grab a solid power supply that you can actually rely on for years of future upgrades. That’ll run you about ~$133. That leaves you with roughly $200. If you can scrape together a little more, you could probably find a used card with a warranty for around 750-$267 that would blow your current one out of the water.

Nobody actually enjoys dropping cash on a new PSU, which makes sense since you’re shelling out $100 without seeing any immediate 😬

But honestly, it's the backbone of the whole rig—no power, no PC. So, maybe don't be cheap and just invest in a decent $100 now. If you save up a tiny bit more, you could grab an R9 265 or an R9 270. Paying $333 just to squeeze out an extra 10 fps seems kind of crazy to me.

Alternatively, you could just sell that Radeon HD 7770. You'd probably get around 300-$133 for it, which should cover the PSU and leave enough for $333 to pick up a used GPU. That might actually be worth it.

steelfox36 said:I'm just hoping both suggestions lead to smoother gameplay in FIFA 15. That's really my only concern.😁 When I boot up my PC, the CPU temps jump to about 150°F for maybe ten minutes before settling down to around 120°F. I'll probably need to have someone take a look at it before I commit to buying a new GPU.

There isn't much left to "check" there. You aren't running an aftermarket cooler on that processor, which is exactly what everyone recommends when picking up chips like that. You should invest at least in a Spire Kepler or an LC-CC-95. As for the GPU temperatures, you either have poor airflow in your case, or you simply need to clean it out and swap the thermal paste since it’s likely dried up by now.

It doesn't necessarily mean they're running a generic office power supply. I'd say there's a 97.9% chance they are, but maybe they have one from a higher-end series, like a "gaming" line, which aren't actually bad. For example, LIKE THIS something. MAYBE. But first, they need to be 100% certain it's the exact unit $50 mentioned before they even think about buying a new PSU. Because honestly, I DOUBT that the one from $50 has been powering that AMD and Radeon HD 7770 this whole time.

steelfox36 said:I just hope both suggestions make FIFA 15 run smoother. That's my only concern.😁 When I turn on the PC, the CPU hits 65-70 C within about 10 minutes without even gaming, then drops back down to 50. I'll have to have someone check it out before I buy a new GPU.

Watch what you're using to measure temps and which specific sensor you're looking at. A buddy of mine has an Athlon x4 740 and he was seeing those same insane temperatures right at startup—like 55-65 degrees immediately after booting—even though he had an aftermarket cooler, a Cooler Master Hyper 212. Turns out, it was just a reading error. Download AIDA64 and check THIS page to see how the sensors report. I wasted a lot of time worrying only to realize I was looking at the wrong metric. CLICK Under this section for Athlon, don't look under motherboard->temperatures->CPUTIN. 😉

Adam Moore3 said:It doesn't necessarily mean they're using a budget unit from them. I’d say there’s a 97.9% chance they are, but maybe they grabbed one from their higher-end "gaming" line, which aren't actually bad. Think of something LIKE THIS . MAYBE. But first, they need to be 100% certain it's actually the same unit from $50 before they go spending money on a replacement. Honestly, I highly DOUBT that the unit from $50 has been powering an AMD CPU and a Radeon HD 7770 this entire time.

He can easily check that by looking to see if there is this kind of small vent on the back.

Regardless, all Spire power supplies are subpar; the real question is whether this one is just mediocre or absolutely terrible.😁

Timothy Kim60 said:He can easily check that by looking to see if there's this kind of small vent behind it.

No matter how you slice it, all power supplies suck; the real question is whether it's just bad or downright terrible. 😁

Also, that isn't Seasoned, but not all their lines are as bad as the reviews make them out to be. CLICK I've never even seen this specific series, nor could anyone find it for sale here in the States, but hey, maybe the guy bought a prebuilt or something abroad. If he already has something like this, he could easily pair it with a better GPU like an R7 265 or an R9 270. It'd be a waste to buy something now for $100 Best Buy or something similar when he might already have something in that range sitting in his PC. MAYBE. 😁

I honestly can't believe it; that was likely just some pre-built configuration. Spira power supplies are always a disastrous deal. I mean, you're looking at an $80 unit in the US, and if you were buying that same model elsewhere, you'd be paying a 30% markup. It's an absolute catastrophe for that specific price bracket. Naturally, those graphics cards they're talking about would hold up fine

Timothy Kim60 said:I don't buy it; it was probably just some pre-built configuration. Buying a Spira power supply is always a bad move—I mean, you're looking at an $80 unit in the US, and even if you were elsewhere, it would be way overpriced. It’s a total disaster for that price bracket. Sure, those GPUs being mentioned would work fine with it, though.

As for the rest, I'm skeptical too, but what does it cost him to actually check? It seems pretty unlikely that a Spira unit from $50 was powering an FX and a 7770 the whole time. That thing doesn't even put out 20A on the 12V rail. 🤷

Is it actually feasible to push this right to the edge? I've got an HD7770 pulling just under 80W at full load, and the rest of the build is an fx 4300, which draws slightly less power than an fx 6300. My main concern is simply how much headroom I really have before things go south. 😬

EDIT

link 😬

Timothy Kim60 said:It might be pushing the limits of the power supply. The HD7770 pulls just under 80W at full load, and the rest of the build is an FX 4300, which draws slightly less than an FX 6300. My main concern is how much headroom I actually have left. 😬

EDIT

link 😬

15A on the 12V rail🤣

Timothy Kim60 said:Look, there isn't really much left for you to troubleshoot here. You aren't running an aftermarket cooler on that CPU, which is basically the first thing everyone tells you to do when picking up chips like that. You really ought to drop some cash on at least a spire kepler or maybe an LC-CC-95. As for those GPU temps, you're either dealing with zero airflow in your case, or you just need to give it a good cleaning and swap out the thermal paste since it's probably dried up by now.

Man, you really laid it all out for me perfectly.👍 I'm gonna pull the trigger on that cooler tonight and then hopefully grab a new graphics card pretty soon after. Thanks!😉

edit: okay, just ordered that first cooler. Now I'm wondering... should I try to install this thing myself or what?

Adam Moore3, I'm gonna give it a shot tonight just like you suggested. Much appreciated.😉

Timothy Kim60 said:They can easily check that by looking to see if there's this kind of small vent behind it.

No matter how you slice it, all power supplies are garbage; the only question is whether it’s just bad or downright catastrophic. 😁

My PSU is black with a massive cutout on top, so you can see everything—the fan and all that—but it doesn't have this blue light.

The simplest way to handle this would be to open up your case and just snap a photo of the label

Of course, if you ever decide to upgrade to a more serious graphics card, you’ll naturally need to swap out the power supply—unless, of course, you’re looking to take a massive risk.

It's probably the Black Jewel version. If it wasn't, it wouldn't have THIS kind of sticker, right?

It seems like everyone is hyping up the R9 285 right now. They’re saying it’s some kind of middle ground—not quite a 290 and not an R9 280 x, but somehow better than both while pulling less power. I guess I'm wondering if it's actually worth picking up, or if there's a better option out there. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks